Nonionic surfactants are widely used as materials of detergent compositions for kitchens, bathrooms, and commercial cooking facilities. Examples of nonionic surfactants include higher alcohol EO adducts in which a large number of oxyethylene groups (hereinafter also referred to as EO) are added to a higher alcohol residue.
Detergent compositions may contain a chlorine agent for bleaching stain. Examples of the chlorine agent include salts of acids such as dichloroisocyanuric acid (examples also includes aqueous solutions of these salts) which can generate hypochlorous acid or chlorous acid.
It is known that coexistence of a nonionic surfactant and a chlorine agent in a detergent composition causes deactivation of both the nonionic surfactant and the chlorine agent as a result of a reaction of a terminal hydroxy group of the nonionic surfactant with chlorine of the chlorine agent.
Patent Literature 1 discloses a nonionic surfactant of an end-capped polyalkylene oxide block copolymer which does not bear functional groups that are easily oxidized by a chlorine agent (hypochlorite bleach).